June 30th is Social Media Day which honors the impact social media has had around the world.
Social media is a part of everyone’s lives today. Whether you need it for work, school, or just for entertainment, everyone uses it. It comes with many benefits but people don’t realize the negative impacts it has on the world.
The History of Social Media
Social media was first created in 1997 and grew in popularity in the early 2000s. Before social media, there were many well known inventions made. “First, there was the telephone, then the fax machine,and then social media — a revolutionary way of communicating,” states National Today. Without these early inventions we wouldn’t have the social platforms we have today.
Throughout the 1900s technology has grown and developed. In 1926, the television was made. It was an amazing breakthrough in technology when it was created: it incorporates “a way of sending and receiving moving images and sounds over wire or through the air by electrical impulse”, IET explains. 27 years later, the first high-speed printer was introduced. This was a very helpful invention for businesses everywhere. Many years later, they added live streaming which is now one of the most popular forms of broadcasting. Surprisingly, WiFi was officially created in 1997, almost 30 years ago. Rather than requiring wires, WiFi allows devices to communicate over a wireless signal. Due to its versatility and convenience, WiFi is now widely used around the world.
When the 2000s hit, the idea of social media began to explode. MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were new platforms that allowed people to connect and communicate with each other. Soon after that smartphones and iPads were made, allowing everyone to access social media. Now we have artificial intelligence which marks the rapid growth of ground-breaking technologies.
The positives
When it comes to social media, there are many positive impacts it has created in the world today. Social media has formed a new way of communication by staying connected with family and friends worldwide via modes which include email, text, and FaceTime.
It also has changed education and the way we receive our information. Now that we have quick access to anything due to Google, AI, and other social media platforms we can have new opportunities. We can create new jobs, inventions, and resources with a click of a button. We can use “banking and bill pay at our fingertips,” LifeSpan adds, “[as well as] online learning, job skills, content discovery.”
The negatives
Some people don’t realize that social media isn’t the problem, it’s the way people take advantage of it. There’s a huge difference between online vs. reality which is a major problem. For example, someone might be “friends” with you on social media but strangers in person. Someone could portray themselves as a good person but in reality be the totally opposite. That’s why we have to be aware of who we follow on social media platforms because you never know who they could be.
Another con to social media is how addicting it can be. Once you get addicted to a platform, whether it be TikTok, Instagram, or any entertainment app, you don’t realize how much you’re on it. It can lead to FOMO, which means “a fear of missing out.” According to LifeSpan, it “often leads to continual checking of social media sites.”
Social media is also negative since it could lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, and depression. When you see everyone living life on the internet you could feel depressed and feel left out. This can cause anxiety because you feel like you have to meet the unrealistic exceptions of social media. Whether you post a picture or a video and you don’t get the likes you expected or you get judged, that’s another factor that’s important to address.
Social Media Day reflects on the impact of the internet and the pros and cons it has. Without social media, we wouldn’t have the communication and skills we have today even though it comes with the cost of depression, addiction, and bullying.
